If you think book publishing is old school... (think again. Check out Penguin UK's Spinebreakers, now live and being run by a crew of teen editors. Love it!)

- Current.com... (is now live. And Al Gore posted his own webcam commentary)

- Chad Vader (latest filmmakers to go from YouTube to "big-name professional representation, a choice of projects, and enough money to pay people for their work on season two of Chad Vader") (New York Times, reg. required)

- New Menudo (they're baaack or at least a new incarnation is. Plus The Back Street Boys are also attempting a comeback [without the help of MTV]) (TMZ) (Reuters)

- MTV off Tempo? (Broadcasting & Cable reports that MTV "is looking to unload its Caribbean music and culture network, Tempo")

- Colleges going where the teens are (with ad dollars...plus using iPods and other tech candy to lure Gen Y to your workplace) (Cincinnati Enquirer) (MSNBC)

- Facebook graying (this is not really new information, but the interesting part is the question of whether teens and college students will stay on the site -- if they can maintain their separate silos...Plus Pew's latest report on stranger danger: "just 7% of online teens have ever had an interaction with a stranger that made them feel scared or uncomfortable") (New York Times, reg. required)

- Toyota's new game (Next Great Thing has a nice write up about the Yaris Xbox game, Scion's virtual world efforts and advergaming in general)

- Tide-vertainment (P&G launched "Crescent Heights," a branded online and cell phone series designed to get young people to buy more Tide) (New York Times, reg. required)

- Common Sense Media awards (thumbs down on Bratz, "Transformers" movie ads, celebrity obsessed media, and Shrek's fast food marketing. Thumbs up on HSM, Harry Potter, Wii, and "The Pursuit of Happiness." Congrats to Tween Mashup speaker Renee Hobbs for being honored as Outstanding Media Educator.)

Posted by anastasia